Tonight I saw a full moon rise up over Ayers Rock. It was spectacular. I was working as a BBQ Assistant (3rd job) which is a BBQ given next to Uluru, and people pay something like $99 to come and eat and drink by the Rock. The night is quite good value and includes a pretty good BBQ, dessert and wine/beer. The main meal consists of a variety of salads, and barbecued meat, including beef steaks, chicken skewers, lamb sausages, marinated kangaroo fillets and garlic prawns. As staff, we also were provided with a meal, and I can tell you – the food was really good, the chicken was perfect, the garlic prawns were excellent (it has been a while since I have had a prawn) and the kangaroo melted in my mouth.
But the total highlight of the night was seeing that big full moon start to peek over the Rock, and slowly rise in the night sky. The moon was so bright that we could hardly see any stars in the sky. And, when we were driving home after the night was over, our driver turned off the car lights to show us that the moon was so bright we really didn’t need car lights (as it was after 11pm at night, I did say that, despite the glorious moon, it may still be a good idea to turn those car lights back on).
When the moon started to show over the Rock, the guests at the BBQ stopped eating their dessert and started snapping photo after photo. I wish that I had my iPhone or camera on me, so I could have taken some photo’s too. But even though I don’t have a photo, I will always have the memory.
Also, tonight, I saw my first wild dingo. After the guests had left and we were packing up all the tables, chairs, glasses, food, etc, the dingo was circling us, and sniffing around for food. He was the colour of a golden Labrador, and he was not shy at all. Nor was he scrawny, so I figure he must be picking up scraps of food every night from the BBQ.
Kristy is still enjoying driving the shuttle, and she sees many an interesting thing, some of which are quite x-rated and I cannot discuss here. Suffice to say she sees a lot, sometimes too much.
I now know 2 Japanese words – Kon-neat-she-wa ... wrong spelling, but that is how it sounds (means hello) and Arigato (which means thank-you). Which reminds me... Kristy was driving the shuttle bus and when the Japanese tourists would get off, they would say “Arigato” (they are so lovely, and so very polite). Kristy, however, does not know the Japanese language, and so she assumed that they were saying ‘goodbye’ to her, so then she started saying it back to them, thinking she was saying “goodbye” in return. So, the upshot was that they were saying thank-you” to her (for driving the shuttle bus), and she was saying “thank-you” back to them! Ahhh, i guess there are worse things she could have said. Oh, I also know another Japanese word, and it sounds like this – “Camp–Pie”. Basically, it means “Cheers” and the Japanese say it when they are giving a toast to something.
At the Spa this week, I have massaged 2 pregnant women! It is so beautiful doing pregnancy massages, because you have to be so light with your touch (no deep tissue or remedial massage at all) and it is just the most relaxing and beautiful experience. The mothers-to-be lay there, on their sides on the massage table, they are so serene, holding their bellies, soft music is playing, oil is being rubbed lightly on their backs, the blinds are down, the room is dim and it almost feels magical.
I gave Kristy her first facial the other day. I think she liked the experience, but she said that she didn’t notice any difference in her skin, but I defiantly noticed her face looking better. It just looked a little more glowing and uplifted. I am one of those people who think everyone and their dog should have at least one facial in their life (alright, maybe not the dog, unless you are Paris of course).
The most exciting news this week, though, is.... (please hear a drum roll in your head), my son, Logan, is coming to live at Yulara with us!!!! Logan feels like a change of scenery, and a bit of an adventure, and so he is going to try living out here for a while. Now is a good time to do it because it is easier to come out here if you know someone. Kristy and I are still planning to leave in a few months, and if Logan likes it here, he can stay longer (because by that time he will be established and set up) or if he doesn’t like it, then no harm done and he can head back to civilisation when we leave. Either way, good on him, at least he is being brave and doing something different. And of course I am VERY excited to be having him here. I have put his resume out there, and I am crossing my fingers that he picks up work quickly. Once he gets work, he will then get his own accommodation, and while it will be lovely to have him staying with us in the short-term, in the long-term we will all want to have our privacy.
I spoke to someone in the newsagency today, as I was buying my usual buddle of puzzle books. She told me that she has won three prizes from That’s Life and/or Take 5 magazines – the prizes being 1: A car!!!! 2: $1,500!!!! 3. Big screen TV!!!!! I felt that this news was a good omen and that I may soon hear about a big win from one (or more) of the competitions that I have entered. Winning something big means that Kristy and I can spend more time travelling and exploring, and less time working - YAAAAYYY!! So, everyone, take a big breathe and manifest me winning much $$$$$$ and big prizes (cars, TV’s, etc). Remember, everything that you wish for someone else, you get back tenfold for yourself.
And to finish off, as Kristy would say... arigato.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Helicopters, pool parties and macaroons.
I went up in a helicopter – OMG OMG OMG!!!! It was amazing! We did a sunset helicopter trip over the Rock and Kata Tjuta. It really was awesome. My first helicopter ride! For those who saw the pictures, you will see from the HUGE grins on our faces how exciting it was! I am sending the guys from Professional Helicopter Services (PHS) a big, big thank you. It has given me a really precious memory that I will always have, and will make me smile whenever I think about it. Kristy, of course, took a zillion photographs because (as you all know) we needed some more sunset pictures --- I am kidding Kristy, your photos are fab :)
The Spa is going well, although the tips have eased off (damnation!). It goes that way sometimes I guess. But, Karen is back in action (her hand/arm is better) and she is waxing and massaging everything in sight – Yay! And Kerrie is back in town (literally) – Yay!, and Erin has started work with us - Yay, so there is a full staff load at the Red Ochre Spa (which means I am back to 3 days a week).
Of course, I couldn’t just work the 3 days a week, and my 2nd job starts this Wednesday – working with the Japanese tours on the sunset champagne drinks. I am very excited and can’t wait to get started.
And my old place of work rang me! The place that was my original 2nd job (and will now be my 3rd job), and have asked if I can help them out a bit, so of course I said yes. So that is 3 part-time jobs now – fun!!!! And no- that wasn’t sarcasm, I really see that this will be fun!
Oh... our garden has expanded. I introduced Kristy to Donald - he has set up the most amazing garden, like it is majorly wow (he even has goldfish!!). And he gave us one of his hanging plants! It looks great out the front of our place, as do the solar powered, coloured, fairy lights that now adorn our veranda area (e-bay purchase from Ms Kristy!). She keeps assuring me that it is not a “permanency” thing.
There is a meteorite-shower party happening here on December 13th. It is going to be spectacular (providing of course that there is no cloud, rain, etc). At about 10.30 pm or so on the night of 13-12-10 a group of us are going up to a hill (probably with some esky’s, which will, of course, only contain soft-drinks) and will stay up on afore mentioned hill to watch the meteorites. This is going to be another amazing memory. I would never have done this in Melbourne!
There was a power outage in Yulara last Thursday. Both Kristy and I weren’t working, so we thought we would head down to one of the pools. It was a pretty hot day and it is no fun being inside without air-conditioning. A lot of people closed up shop for the afternoon here at Yulara (what did we do with the tourists?). Anyway, sooooo many people came to the pool – and it ended up being an impromptu pool party, and it was a hoot! I am not really much of a pool person usually, but this was different – very social, very relaxed, very easy. Although, because the power wasn’t on, that meant that the pool filter wasn’t working, so after a while, the pool became a bit grubby. As soon as that happened (the obvious grubbiness), I left the water, because I have an issue with germs and I didn’t want to be sitting in a huge petri-dish filled with mucky people bacteria and floating skins cells (yes, yes, I appreciate the irony! I know I touch people’s naked bodies all day, but somehow it is different – this time the germs were floating in water!). Anyway, it was still fun sitting beside the pool, reading my book and chatting to people. For those who are wondering, yes, Kristy stayed in the pool the whole time. She doesn't let a germ or 2 (or a 1,000) bother her!
My cooking experimentation continues, and this week I made home-made spring rolls (I don’t think the bacon made them authentic, but it did make them tasty). I also made coconut macaroons, and they were a big hit with Kristy. I found them to be a little too coconutty, but I will try to make them again – I need to perfect the recipe. Yes Mel – I will make them for you when I see you next (even though I know said you wanted a store-brought macaroon).
And... this was very exciting... this week I found out that people I DON’T EVEN KNOW are reading this blog – is that not Oh My God!!!!???? I was speaking to someone who works at the Resort here, and he asked me if I am writing a blog, and I said yes (first I asked him “Why are you asking?” I think I thought I might have been in trouble or something! Well, you know my motto – “When in doubt, panic.”) Anyhoo, I just want to say HI to Grant, and to all the crew at Longie and thank you so much for reading the blog. I feel a bit special about it! And, when are you guys coming in for a massage? I want to meet you all!
Kristy is LOVING being the night shuttle bus driver, and I mean LOVING it! She is able to meet people, chat, listen to music, stay clean, have air conditioning – it is all good! And she looks very cute in her uniform, especially now that she has peroxided her hair again.
Gotta go now, the little unit is a total mess, dishes everywhere, (all plates are dirty), clothes are on the floor, bottles, cans, etc. Sigh. I must clean up before Kristy gets home. Or maybe I shall go to bed and clean up tomorrow before I go to work. Choices, choices. To sleep OR to clean (ah yes, that age old question). Which one will I choose?
The Spa is going well, although the tips have eased off (damnation!). It goes that way sometimes I guess. But, Karen is back in action (her hand/arm is better) and she is waxing and massaging everything in sight – Yay! And Kerrie is back in town (literally) – Yay!, and Erin has started work with us - Yay, so there is a full staff load at the Red Ochre Spa (which means I am back to 3 days a week).
Of course, I couldn’t just work the 3 days a week, and my 2nd job starts this Wednesday – working with the Japanese tours on the sunset champagne drinks. I am very excited and can’t wait to get started.
And my old place of work rang me! The place that was my original 2nd job (and will now be my 3rd job), and have asked if I can help them out a bit, so of course I said yes. So that is 3 part-time jobs now – fun!!!! And no- that wasn’t sarcasm, I really see that this will be fun!
Oh... our garden has expanded. I introduced Kristy to Donald - he has set up the most amazing garden, like it is majorly wow (he even has goldfish!!). And he gave us one of his hanging plants! It looks great out the front of our place, as do the solar powered, coloured, fairy lights that now adorn our veranda area (e-bay purchase from Ms Kristy!). She keeps assuring me that it is not a “permanency” thing.
There is a meteorite-shower party happening here on December 13th. It is going to be spectacular (providing of course that there is no cloud, rain, etc). At about 10.30 pm or so on the night of 13-12-10 a group of us are going up to a hill (probably with some esky’s, which will, of course, only contain soft-drinks) and will stay up on afore mentioned hill to watch the meteorites. This is going to be another amazing memory. I would never have done this in Melbourne!
There was a power outage in Yulara last Thursday. Both Kristy and I weren’t working, so we thought we would head down to one of the pools. It was a pretty hot day and it is no fun being inside without air-conditioning. A lot of people closed up shop for the afternoon here at Yulara (what did we do with the tourists?). Anyway, sooooo many people came to the pool – and it ended up being an impromptu pool party, and it was a hoot! I am not really much of a pool person usually, but this was different – very social, very relaxed, very easy. Although, because the power wasn’t on, that meant that the pool filter wasn’t working, so after a while, the pool became a bit grubby. As soon as that happened (the obvious grubbiness), I left the water, because I have an issue with germs and I didn’t want to be sitting in a huge petri-dish filled with mucky people bacteria and floating skins cells (yes, yes, I appreciate the irony! I know I touch people’s naked bodies all day, but somehow it is different – this time the germs were floating in water!). Anyway, it was still fun sitting beside the pool, reading my book and chatting to people. For those who are wondering, yes, Kristy stayed in the pool the whole time. She doesn't let a germ or 2 (or a 1,000) bother her!
My cooking experimentation continues, and this week I made home-made spring rolls (I don’t think the bacon made them authentic, but it did make them tasty). I also made coconut macaroons, and they were a big hit with Kristy. I found them to be a little too coconutty, but I will try to make them again – I need to perfect the recipe. Yes Mel – I will make them for you when I see you next (even though I know said you wanted a store-brought macaroon).
And... this was very exciting... this week I found out that people I DON’T EVEN KNOW are reading this blog – is that not Oh My God!!!!???? I was speaking to someone who works at the Resort here, and he asked me if I am writing a blog, and I said yes (first I asked him “Why are you asking?” I think I thought I might have been in trouble or something! Well, you know my motto – “When in doubt, panic.”) Anyhoo, I just want to say HI to Grant, and to all the crew at Longie and thank you so much for reading the blog. I feel a bit special about it! And, when are you guys coming in for a massage? I want to meet you all!
Kristy is LOVING being the night shuttle bus driver, and I mean LOVING it! She is able to meet people, chat, listen to music, stay clean, have air conditioning – it is all good! And she looks very cute in her uniform, especially now that she has peroxided her hair again.
Gotta go now, the little unit is a total mess, dishes everywhere, (all plates are dirty), clothes are on the floor, bottles, cans, etc. Sigh. I must clean up before Kristy gets home. Or maybe I shall go to bed and clean up tomorrow before I go to work. Choices, choices. To sleep OR to clean (ah yes, that age old question). Which one will I choose?
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Tired, Tips and Trying new things.
This coming Wednesday we will have been back here at the Rock for 24 days. I will have had only 4 days off in that time (Mandy, I know this is typical of you, but remember, I am a LAZY girl)! And... at work for almost 9 hours per day sometimes! I am getting tired!!!!! My head is kind of spinning. Yet, I am still having trouble sleeping (you think I would just be crashing unconscious every single night.... but noooo!)
The reason I am working so much (remember, this is the job I was suppose to be working only three days a week, because, yes it is true, I AM a lazy girl) is because:
a) the gorgeous Karen (Spa Therapist colleague) has RSI (or something similar) in her wrist, so she cannot do any treatments (however she is doing a super trooper job of reception at the Spa - Go Karen!)
b) the gorgeous Kerrie (another Spa Therapist colleague) is on holidays, attending a family wedding
c) the gorgeous (I am assuming gorgeous, because I haven’t met her yet, but I feel she is going to be gorgeous) Erin, was meant to start last week at the Spa, but she has an ear infection and she cannot fly (fly to Yulara, not fly in general!!!!).
Therefore, I am helping out the Spa, taking on extra hours in the short term, to help them through this rough-ish, low-on-therapist's patch.
Yes, on the negative side, I am very tired, but on the positive side, I am getting even better at massage and facials! Also, the tips are rolling in this week (just over $100 for this week), AND I won the October ‘retail’ competition (although this happened before we went back to Melbourne, so doesn’t really have anything to do with the extra hours I am now working, but it is still EXCITING because I get a majorly good prize for selling the most beauty products).
I have found it ethically hard to compete against my gorgeous colleagues to see who sells the most retail products, as I don’t like winning at the expense of someone else losing. I spoke to my manager about this, and she was really open to including an incentive to the person who comes second in the selling.
Kristy (the girl that loves a good meal, and even better if it is free!)is mega happy that I won the dinner prize, because it means that her and I get to go to a fancy restaurant, and the prize includes dinner, AND all drinks, and there is NO $$$$ limit (although I have been told that it won’t be looked on favourably if I order a 10 bottles of the $500 champagne). Personally, I am looking forward to oysters and cocktails. And whatever else takes my fancy at the time. My mum has advised Kristy to not eat the bread rolls, as they are ‘fillers’ and they take away from the ‘real’ (= expensive) food.
Another exciting event is about to occur - Kristy, God bless her, has secured us an excellent discount (approx 20%) on a helicopter trip over Ayers Rock. So that is what we are doing next Thursday. I have never done a helicopter flight, and to do the first one over the Rock will be mind-blowing!! I am hyperventilating at the thought of it!!!!
Last Thursday, Kristy and I went to the Sounds of Silence dinner. I sent a number of people some photographs from that night, however due to size restrictions, some of you didn’t get the pics, or the email!! Sounds of Silence is a dinner, in the desert, with the Rock in view. It also involves a Star Talker, who points out the night sky constellations. Kristy and I felt so special on that night! We were firstly greeted with champagne, beer, wine and canapés. Then we all walked down to the dining site, where we ate and were topped up with wine and beer all night long. We were at a table with a honeymooning couple from Germany they were very funny AND they kept disappearing into the night (and the toilets!!!!) to do ‘you know what’), and another couple from Holland (she was terrified of bugs, which was interesting to watch her cringing as the desert bugs came out at dusk), and another couple from Malaysia (he set up a BIG camera on a tripod and snapped pics of us all night – of us at the dining table, not the naughty German couple!!). As usual, I ate waaaaay too much (it was there, what else would I do??) but this time I did stop myself before I wanted to vomit. AND... I got to see 4 of Jupiter’s moons through a telescope!
On one of my days off this week, K and I went to the closest pool (there are about 5 pools in very close walking distance) for about an hour. God, it was nice to submerge in water, to drink wine by the pool edge, to listen to music while basking in the sun. I need another day off! By the way, if you are wondering, yes, Kristy is still obsessed with the weather (mind you, that worked out very well for booking Sounds of Silence, because it is not very good to do on a cloudy night - no stars!).
Tonight, after my last client left the Spa, the gorgeous Karen layed me down on a massage table and tinted my eyebrows and my eyelashes. Now it looks like I am wearing mascara even when I don’t have any on! I love these little extra bits of this job! Ta Karen - you're a doll!
Kristy has changed jobs (thank goodness!!!) and she is now driving the Night Shuttle Bus. This is a free bus service for all guests and staff around the resort. Basically, Kristy now picks up very happy (which translates to drunk) people from whichever pub they are at, and drops them at their accommodation (or the next pub they are going to). She tells me that there is sometimes lots of singing on the bus (I am not sure it is worthy of Australian Idol, but I am sure that whatever it lacks in talent, is more than made up for in volume). And, Kristy even got a $10 tip on the Shuttle Bus the other night – which is very rare to get on the bus!
I made chocolate chip cookies last night. They were a disaster. One batch was very over-cooked (let’s be honest, quite, quite burnt) and the next batch had too much flour. They were all meant to be thrown away, but Kristy took them to her work, and all the bus drivers ate them within 2 hours! Greedy Gus’s!
Poor Kristy, she has been doing most of the housework for the last 3 weeks. I am working so much that I am just not home a lot. There are many days when I leave for work before she gets up, and I get home after she has left for work. K does have a 45 minute break on this new job, so she ducks back to see me then. And then we talk 100 to the dozen to get all of our news out to each other before she heads off again to work! Each night, I try to make her something to eat (tonight was pikelets with jam) so she has a snack for when she comes home... although there is an ulterior motive to this – because while she is eating, I get the chance to talk! We just have so little time for catch up, and K has lots to say, so I have to make sure that I get my 2 cents worth in too!
Kristy has made us a garden, outside of our apartment. To me, it reeks of permanency, which is very scary, because (while there is lots of great things about Yulara) I don’t want to live here permanently. However, the garden does look nice, and even the sharp sticks surrounding every plant kind of look cool (K put them there to stop the rabbits eating the succulents). Aside from a truck load of Aloe Vera, we also have Jade, chillies, spearmint, parsley and some other red leaf thing.
Tonight was another big storm in the desert. I sat outside, so I could ‘experience’ the fullness of the storm, in all its glory. The wind was severely whipping up all the red dust, the lightening was flashing at 360 degrees. The rain started coming down and it smelt delicious. By the time I got back inside, I was cold, wet, and covered in red dust. Seriously, I am still picking out the dust from my ears – true!
I like it here, which is lucky, because we are planning to be here until at least the end of Jan 2011, and it will be fun to do NYE at Ayers Rock, however I am REALLY looking forward to the West Coast, Perth, Coral Bay, Exmouth, Broome, Darwin, and all the other places here and there and in between that have sea and beach (and maybe shops every now and then would be good too).
Also there were two big weddings this month in Melbourne. Congratulations to Peter and Katrisse Wilson, we can't wait for your Thailand photos. And also a friend of Kristy's - congratulations to Kate and Paul! We can't wait to see your photos also. May you guys all have many years of happiness and love together.
The reason I am working so much (remember, this is the job I was suppose to be working only three days a week, because, yes it is true, I AM a lazy girl) is because:
a) the gorgeous Karen (Spa Therapist colleague) has RSI (or something similar) in her wrist, so she cannot do any treatments (however she is doing a super trooper job of reception at the Spa - Go Karen!)
b) the gorgeous Kerrie (another Spa Therapist colleague) is on holidays, attending a family wedding
c) the gorgeous (I am assuming gorgeous, because I haven’t met her yet, but I feel she is going to be gorgeous) Erin, was meant to start last week at the Spa, but she has an ear infection and she cannot fly (fly to Yulara, not fly in general!!!!).
Therefore, I am helping out the Spa, taking on extra hours in the short term, to help them through this rough-ish, low-on-therapist's patch.
Yes, on the negative side, I am very tired, but on the positive side, I am getting even better at massage and facials! Also, the tips are rolling in this week (just over $100 for this week), AND I won the October ‘retail’ competition (although this happened before we went back to Melbourne, so doesn’t really have anything to do with the extra hours I am now working, but it is still EXCITING because I get a majorly good prize for selling the most beauty products).
I have found it ethically hard to compete against my gorgeous colleagues to see who sells the most retail products, as I don’t like winning at the expense of someone else losing. I spoke to my manager about this, and she was really open to including an incentive to the person who comes second in the selling.
Kristy (the girl that loves a good meal, and even better if it is free!)is mega happy that I won the dinner prize, because it means that her and I get to go to a fancy restaurant, and the prize includes dinner, AND all drinks, and there is NO $$$$ limit (although I have been told that it won’t be looked on favourably if I order a 10 bottles of the $500 champagne). Personally, I am looking forward to oysters and cocktails. And whatever else takes my fancy at the time. My mum has advised Kristy to not eat the bread rolls, as they are ‘fillers’ and they take away from the ‘real’ (= expensive) food.
Another exciting event is about to occur - Kristy, God bless her, has secured us an excellent discount (approx 20%) on a helicopter trip over Ayers Rock. So that is what we are doing next Thursday. I have never done a helicopter flight, and to do the first one over the Rock will be mind-blowing!! I am hyperventilating at the thought of it!!!!
Last Thursday, Kristy and I went to the Sounds of Silence dinner. I sent a number of people some photographs from that night, however due to size restrictions, some of you didn’t get the pics, or the email!! Sounds of Silence is a dinner, in the desert, with the Rock in view. It also involves a Star Talker, who points out the night sky constellations. Kristy and I felt so special on that night! We were firstly greeted with champagne, beer, wine and canapés. Then we all walked down to the dining site, where we ate and were topped up with wine and beer all night long. We were at a table with a honeymooning couple from Germany they were very funny AND they kept disappearing into the night (and the toilets!!!!) to do ‘you know what’), and another couple from Holland (she was terrified of bugs, which was interesting to watch her cringing as the desert bugs came out at dusk), and another couple from Malaysia (he set up a BIG camera on a tripod and snapped pics of us all night – of us at the dining table, not the naughty German couple!!). As usual, I ate waaaaay too much (it was there, what else would I do??) but this time I did stop myself before I wanted to vomit. AND... I got to see 4 of Jupiter’s moons through a telescope!
On one of my days off this week, K and I went to the closest pool (there are about 5 pools in very close walking distance) for about an hour. God, it was nice to submerge in water, to drink wine by the pool edge, to listen to music while basking in the sun. I need another day off! By the way, if you are wondering, yes, Kristy is still obsessed with the weather (mind you, that worked out very well for booking Sounds of Silence, because it is not very good to do on a cloudy night - no stars!).
Tonight, after my last client left the Spa, the gorgeous Karen layed me down on a massage table and tinted my eyebrows and my eyelashes. Now it looks like I am wearing mascara even when I don’t have any on! I love these little extra bits of this job! Ta Karen - you're a doll!
Kristy has changed jobs (thank goodness!!!) and she is now driving the Night Shuttle Bus. This is a free bus service for all guests and staff around the resort. Basically, Kristy now picks up very happy (which translates to drunk) people from whichever pub they are at, and drops them at their accommodation (or the next pub they are going to). She tells me that there is sometimes lots of singing on the bus (I am not sure it is worthy of Australian Idol, but I am sure that whatever it lacks in talent, is more than made up for in volume). And, Kristy even got a $10 tip on the Shuttle Bus the other night – which is very rare to get on the bus!
I made chocolate chip cookies last night. They were a disaster. One batch was very over-cooked (let’s be honest, quite, quite burnt) and the next batch had too much flour. They were all meant to be thrown away, but Kristy took them to her work, and all the bus drivers ate them within 2 hours! Greedy Gus’s!
Poor Kristy, she has been doing most of the housework for the last 3 weeks. I am working so much that I am just not home a lot. There are many days when I leave for work before she gets up, and I get home after she has left for work. K does have a 45 minute break on this new job, so she ducks back to see me then. And then we talk 100 to the dozen to get all of our news out to each other before she heads off again to work! Each night, I try to make her something to eat (tonight was pikelets with jam) so she has a snack for when she comes home... although there is an ulterior motive to this – because while she is eating, I get the chance to talk! We just have so little time for catch up, and K has lots to say, so I have to make sure that I get my 2 cents worth in too!
Kristy has made us a garden, outside of our apartment. To me, it reeks of permanency, which is very scary, because (while there is lots of great things about Yulara) I don’t want to live here permanently. However, the garden does look nice, and even the sharp sticks surrounding every plant kind of look cool (K put them there to stop the rabbits eating the succulents). Aside from a truck load of Aloe Vera, we also have Jade, chillies, spearmint, parsley and some other red leaf thing.
Tonight was another big storm in the desert. I sat outside, so I could ‘experience’ the fullness of the storm, in all its glory. The wind was severely whipping up all the red dust, the lightening was flashing at 360 degrees. The rain started coming down and it smelt delicious. By the time I got back inside, I was cold, wet, and covered in red dust. Seriously, I am still picking out the dust from my ears – true!
I like it here, which is lucky, because we are planning to be here until at least the end of Jan 2011, and it will be fun to do NYE at Ayers Rock, however I am REALLY looking forward to the West Coast, Perth, Coral Bay, Exmouth, Broome, Darwin, and all the other places here and there and in between that have sea and beach (and maybe shops every now and then would be good too).
Also there were two big weddings this month in Melbourne. Congratulations to Peter and Katrisse Wilson, we can't wait for your Thailand photos. And also a friend of Kristy's - congratulations to Kate and Paul! We can't wait to see your photos also. May you guys all have many years of happiness and love together.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Back at good ol' strange Yulara
Life has been so busy that the Blog has been on the backburner for a while! Damn those backburners – too convenient. Opps, that reminds me - I have garlic bread in the oven (I really do!)
We are now back in good ol’ Yulara. Good ol’ strange Yulara. We left Victoria on a Sunday morning, flew to Alice Springs and did a BIG grocery shop. I then had a little mini breakdown (Kristy will say that it was a BIG breakdown) because I had forgotten that the cheaper liquor stores (i.e. Coles Liquor, Woolworths Liquor) are not open on a Sunday due to the strict Alice Springs Liquor Laws, and, you know, I really, really needed some wine to take back to good ol’ strange Yulara. So, I was forced to go and buy my wine at the more expensive drive-through bottle-o’s (I am not kidding, there are only 2 bottle-shops open in all of Alice Springs on Sundays). However, while it was not all that cheap, it was still cheaper than buying alcohol in Yulara.
Once we got back to good ol' strange Yulara, Kristy very quickly (and very kindly) arranged for wine to be delivered here via internet ordering (I think she wanted to avoid dealing with me having another breakdown. Who can blame her?).
After the afore mentioned breakdown, and the grocery shopping, we drove 4 and ½ hours back to Yulara. I had to start back at work the next day, and we didn’t want to be driving at Kangaroo hour (which begins at approx 4pm), so we left as soon as possible. I had been hoping for some Pad Thai from Thongs (or maybe it is called Tongs) in Alice Springs before we left (there are no such Thai eateries at Yulara and I miss Asian food a lot), but of course Thongs (or Tongs)was closed. More tears from me --- remember, I WAS tired from being up before dawn to fly back to N.T.(that is my excuse and I’m sticking to it).
On the drive back to good ol’ strange Yulara, two exciting-ish events occurred. 1: I saw a baby camel (wild one) eating the leaves from a burnt tree on the side of the road, and 2: An eagle pooped on the van (it was kinda yellow in colour, just in case you were wondering). In the 4 and ½ hours of driving, the exciting events accounted for under 5 minutes. The rest of the drive was listening to Lady Gaga (love it), listening to K D Lang (very soothing), and listening (reluctantly on my part) to some screechy music that Kristy had newly purchased.
It was great to have been back in Victoria and see the family. Mel and Mick’s wedding was lovely. Mel looked beautiful, as did little Elle. It was a night of celebration and fun, with lots of laughing and dancing. My mum and Kristy and I then looked after Elle while Mel and Mick went on their honeymoon. Elle is such a beautiful little girl - she is pretty, curious, cheeky and very intelligent. It was lovely to spend a good amount of time getting to know Elle and enjoying her company. My mum and I loved it, not to mention Kristy (she is very clucky at the moment!)
While we were in Melbourne, we also did manage to catch up with a few people on Friday night at Jody’s house (thank you so much Jody for opening up your house for a group of rowdy women + Ryan). And thank you to Tara, Dustey, Ronnie, Debbie, Jodi, Fee, Caroline, Lisa, Casey, Karen, Nardie and Ryan for coming out to see us in Newport on a very cold and rainy Melbourne evening. Vik... next time! Jake ... next time!
Oh, and we saw The Twins! Debbie and Kylie have just brought little twinnies into the world – Georgie and Ryder! OMG! They are just the cutest little bubbies! Congratulations girls! Well done on such beautiful babies. And you know it made Kristy even more clucky!
Was also wonderful to catch up with the jestsetter – Ronnie. What luck that we were in Melbourne at the same time that you were Ronnie! And Ronnie... when are you and the kids coming to the Rock???? We are waiting...
Kristy also went to see her Nan whilst in Melbourne – her Nan is 90 years old, can you imagine everything that she has seen happen to the world in 90 years? PS: Hi Uncle Charlie, it was really nice to hear that you like reading the blog!!
We are having visitors come to Yulara while we are here. Woooo Hoooo!!!! Rachel and her children are coming up, and Karen and Nardie are coming up also. Remember everyone, if you have ever wanted to see Uluru or Kata Tjutua – now is the time... because of the discounts on accommodation that I can get you. Kristy and I miss our friends and family so come see us!!!!
My job at the day Spa is going well. I am still expanding my skills and now can include anti-aging facials (they really do make a difference) and full body scrubs as well as Hot Stone Massage and Cool Hot Stone Massage (this is basically massaging with hot stones over a dencorub type substance). The first hot stone massage I gave to a client, the feedback he gave to my manager was, “That was something else!” and he then gave me a $30 tip (I think the wine he had consumed before entering the spa helped get me the tip, but I am not saying that too loudly. Shhhh).
I am also selling lots of product at the Spa - moisturizers, scrubs, exfoliants, face masks, etc. Who knew I was so good at selling??! I am even amazing myself! The staff member that sells the most product each month gets a free dinner. Kristy REALLY wants me to win the dinner (ahhh, she loves a freebie!). But I am having trouble with the whole concept of competing against my colleagues. I am going to try and sell enough products so that all of us at the Spa can get a free dinner, not just me.
Speaking of food, yesterday Kristy said to me that she felt like a Red Rooster meal. I said no, because it is a 4 and ½ hour drive, one way, to any fast food outlets, and there just wasn’t enough time to drive there and back before starting work the next day. I know, I know, how unreasonable of me. If I could have ordered it online, I would have.
The weather is great here, lovely and warm. Even when we had the rain and thunder storms the other night, it was still warm. Thunder storms in the desert – very exciting (although Kristy once nearly got struck by lightening - when she was little - so she is not as keen on the storms as I am). On the topic of weather, one of Kristy’s biggest hobbies is googling what the weather is at Yulara. Seriously, if I am home, she tells me 4 times a day all about the maximum temperatures, rain fronts, wind velocity, cloudiness, etc that are happening and that we can expect. Personally, I find it so much simpler to just open the door and see if it is raining, or feel if it is hot!
Oh, I also have a hobby, which is bordering on obsession, like all good hobbies should (like Anita and her garden - come on Anita, admit that you are obsessed with the garden!!! I mean, it is looking gorgeous, but is totally your current obsession!). My hobby/obsession, however, is that I am addicted to competitions, like That’s Life, Take 5 and other Puzzle Books that have cash prizes (my brain is clearly seeking stimulation and exercise). I religiously complete any puzzles that I can and send them off. Now, I am waiting for the prizes to start rolling in. Everyone, cross your fingers and toes for Kristy and me, because the more money I win, the quicker we can resume our travels ( I am now HANGING OUT to do the West Coast, because I saw the photos that Gen and Trent sent through --- OMG!! Sooooo beautiful!!!!)
In the meantime, Kristy has got us another pot plant (and by this I mean a "plant in a pot" not a "pot" plant). That makes three now. The newest arrival is a bucket of mud in which Kristy has put in parsley seeds. We are hoping to grow some before we leave, but I have a feeling we will be feeding the rabbits, instead of us. The rabbits come out at night and eat the plants and flowers that people try to grow. I have seen rabbits, at midnight, stretching up on hind legs to reach the tastiest leaves on a pot plant.
The ants are something else out here! As we walk along the path from our van to our home, the ants crawl quickly up the feet and legs and then nip at the skin. The ants are really fast here. If there was an Olympic event for ants, these ants would win! Perhaps I should enquire about ant races. Someone, somewhere in the world must race ants. I could get some Yulara ants and save them, and put them in a world-wide ant race! And win! I wonder how long ants live. I wonder what ants eat? Bread crumbs? Ummm, I have just read back through this paragraph and have realized how much I digressed. JeeeeeeSUS! I HAVE become a strange Yulura person! (some people will argue that I was strange before I got here, but that's just mean!!). Anyhoo, as we walk along the path from our van to our home (yes, I AM continuing on with the story) Kristy spends most of the time jumping up and down, smacking the ants off her calf muscles, and swearing --- too funny!
Kristy is sooooo over her job at the moment. It is very physically demanding, and she does not like working nights. She is going to ask about her “options”, and see if she can do something else, or perhaps lessen the hours she does at night. Poor Kristy, she really thought this job would be a good one.
I, on the other hand, am about to take on a 2nd job. The other 2nd job I had, I ended up leaving and now I have been offered another one. It is doing something similar, serving champagne and canapés at sunset at the Rock, but this time I will be working exclusively with the Japanese tourist. So... konnichiwa. (That is “Good afternoon” in Japanese). With this job, I get to wear a Akubra hat - very Aussie, and you would think, very good. But no. I am not a hat person. Unfortunately when I put on a hat, my forehead looks huge (and do NOT tell me that is because I have a huge forehead, because I DON'T want to hear it). No, let's just say, for no particular reason, I am just not a hat person.
On a more serious, and political, note, today was the 25th anniversary of the handback of Uluru to the traditional aboriginal owners. This was quite a monumental event, but I couldn’t go to the celebrations as I was working. Still, it was good to be close to this event, even if I couldn’t attend.
Moving away from the serious note... two nights ago, I dreamt I kissed Oprah, and she was dressed as a man. I am not going anywhere near analysing this dream.
To finish, a little saying.... "everyday can be confetti day".
PS The garlic bread was burnt to a cinder and unable to be eaten. So I ate chocolate instead.
We are now back in good ol’ Yulara. Good ol’ strange Yulara. We left Victoria on a Sunday morning, flew to Alice Springs and did a BIG grocery shop. I then had a little mini breakdown (Kristy will say that it was a BIG breakdown) because I had forgotten that the cheaper liquor stores (i.e. Coles Liquor, Woolworths Liquor) are not open on a Sunday due to the strict Alice Springs Liquor Laws, and, you know, I really, really needed some wine to take back to good ol’ strange Yulara. So, I was forced to go and buy my wine at the more expensive drive-through bottle-o’s (I am not kidding, there are only 2 bottle-shops open in all of Alice Springs on Sundays). However, while it was not all that cheap, it was still cheaper than buying alcohol in Yulara.
Once we got back to good ol' strange Yulara, Kristy very quickly (and very kindly) arranged for wine to be delivered here via internet ordering (I think she wanted to avoid dealing with me having another breakdown. Who can blame her?).
After the afore mentioned breakdown, and the grocery shopping, we drove 4 and ½ hours back to Yulara. I had to start back at work the next day, and we didn’t want to be driving at Kangaroo hour (which begins at approx 4pm), so we left as soon as possible. I had been hoping for some Pad Thai from Thongs (or maybe it is called Tongs) in Alice Springs before we left (there are no such Thai eateries at Yulara and I miss Asian food a lot), but of course Thongs (or Tongs)was closed. More tears from me --- remember, I WAS tired from being up before dawn to fly back to N.T.(that is my excuse and I’m sticking to it).
On the drive back to good ol’ strange Yulara, two exciting-ish events occurred. 1: I saw a baby camel (wild one) eating the leaves from a burnt tree on the side of the road, and 2: An eagle pooped on the van (it was kinda yellow in colour, just in case you were wondering). In the 4 and ½ hours of driving, the exciting events accounted for under 5 minutes. The rest of the drive was listening to Lady Gaga (love it), listening to K D Lang (very soothing), and listening (reluctantly on my part) to some screechy music that Kristy had newly purchased.
It was great to have been back in Victoria and see the family. Mel and Mick’s wedding was lovely. Mel looked beautiful, as did little Elle. It was a night of celebration and fun, with lots of laughing and dancing. My mum and Kristy and I then looked after Elle while Mel and Mick went on their honeymoon. Elle is such a beautiful little girl - she is pretty, curious, cheeky and very intelligent. It was lovely to spend a good amount of time getting to know Elle and enjoying her company. My mum and I loved it, not to mention Kristy (she is very clucky at the moment!)
While we were in Melbourne, we also did manage to catch up with a few people on Friday night at Jody’s house (thank you so much Jody for opening up your house for a group of rowdy women + Ryan). And thank you to Tara, Dustey, Ronnie, Debbie, Jodi, Fee, Caroline, Lisa, Casey, Karen, Nardie and Ryan for coming out to see us in Newport on a very cold and rainy Melbourne evening. Vik... next time! Jake ... next time!
Oh, and we saw The Twins! Debbie and Kylie have just brought little twinnies into the world – Georgie and Ryder! OMG! They are just the cutest little bubbies! Congratulations girls! Well done on such beautiful babies. And you know it made Kristy even more clucky!
Was also wonderful to catch up with the jestsetter – Ronnie. What luck that we were in Melbourne at the same time that you were Ronnie! And Ronnie... when are you and the kids coming to the Rock???? We are waiting...
Kristy also went to see her Nan whilst in Melbourne – her Nan is 90 years old, can you imagine everything that she has seen happen to the world in 90 years? PS: Hi Uncle Charlie, it was really nice to hear that you like reading the blog!!
We are having visitors come to Yulara while we are here. Woooo Hoooo!!!! Rachel and her children are coming up, and Karen and Nardie are coming up also. Remember everyone, if you have ever wanted to see Uluru or Kata Tjutua – now is the time... because of the discounts on accommodation that I can get you. Kristy and I miss our friends and family so come see us!!!!
My job at the day Spa is going well. I am still expanding my skills and now can include anti-aging facials (they really do make a difference) and full body scrubs as well as Hot Stone Massage and Cool Hot Stone Massage (this is basically massaging with hot stones over a dencorub type substance). The first hot stone massage I gave to a client, the feedback he gave to my manager was, “That was something else!” and he then gave me a $30 tip (I think the wine he had consumed before entering the spa helped get me the tip, but I am not saying that too loudly. Shhhh).
I am also selling lots of product at the Spa - moisturizers, scrubs, exfoliants, face masks, etc. Who knew I was so good at selling??! I am even amazing myself! The staff member that sells the most product each month gets a free dinner. Kristy REALLY wants me to win the dinner (ahhh, she loves a freebie!). But I am having trouble with the whole concept of competing against my colleagues. I am going to try and sell enough products so that all of us at the Spa can get a free dinner, not just me.
Speaking of food, yesterday Kristy said to me that she felt like a Red Rooster meal. I said no, because it is a 4 and ½ hour drive, one way, to any fast food outlets, and there just wasn’t enough time to drive there and back before starting work the next day. I know, I know, how unreasonable of me. If I could have ordered it online, I would have.
The weather is great here, lovely and warm. Even when we had the rain and thunder storms the other night, it was still warm. Thunder storms in the desert – very exciting (although Kristy once nearly got struck by lightening - when she was little - so she is not as keen on the storms as I am). On the topic of weather, one of Kristy’s biggest hobbies is googling what the weather is at Yulara. Seriously, if I am home, she tells me 4 times a day all about the maximum temperatures, rain fronts, wind velocity, cloudiness, etc that are happening and that we can expect. Personally, I find it so much simpler to just open the door and see if it is raining, or feel if it is hot!
Oh, I also have a hobby, which is bordering on obsession, like all good hobbies should (like Anita and her garden - come on Anita, admit that you are obsessed with the garden!!! I mean, it is looking gorgeous, but is totally your current obsession!). My hobby/obsession, however, is that I am addicted to competitions, like That’s Life, Take 5 and other Puzzle Books that have cash prizes (my brain is clearly seeking stimulation and exercise). I religiously complete any puzzles that I can and send them off. Now, I am waiting for the prizes to start rolling in. Everyone, cross your fingers and toes for Kristy and me, because the more money I win, the quicker we can resume our travels ( I am now HANGING OUT to do the West Coast, because I saw the photos that Gen and Trent sent through --- OMG!! Sooooo beautiful!!!!)
In the meantime, Kristy has got us another pot plant (and by this I mean a "plant in a pot" not a "pot" plant). That makes three now. The newest arrival is a bucket of mud in which Kristy has put in parsley seeds. We are hoping to grow some before we leave, but I have a feeling we will be feeding the rabbits, instead of us. The rabbits come out at night and eat the plants and flowers that people try to grow. I have seen rabbits, at midnight, stretching up on hind legs to reach the tastiest leaves on a pot plant.
The ants are something else out here! As we walk along the path from our van to our home, the ants crawl quickly up the feet and legs and then nip at the skin. The ants are really fast here. If there was an Olympic event for ants, these ants would win! Perhaps I should enquire about ant races. Someone, somewhere in the world must race ants. I could get some Yulara ants and save them, and put them in a world-wide ant race! And win! I wonder how long ants live. I wonder what ants eat? Bread crumbs? Ummm, I have just read back through this paragraph and have realized how much I digressed. JeeeeeeSUS! I HAVE become a strange Yulura person! (some people will argue that I was strange before I got here, but that's just mean!!). Anyhoo, as we walk along the path from our van to our home (yes, I AM continuing on with the story) Kristy spends most of the time jumping up and down, smacking the ants off her calf muscles, and swearing --- too funny!
Kristy is sooooo over her job at the moment. It is very physically demanding, and she does not like working nights. She is going to ask about her “options”, and see if she can do something else, or perhaps lessen the hours she does at night. Poor Kristy, she really thought this job would be a good one.
I, on the other hand, am about to take on a 2nd job. The other 2nd job I had, I ended up leaving and now I have been offered another one. It is doing something similar, serving champagne and canapés at sunset at the Rock, but this time I will be working exclusively with the Japanese tourist. So... konnichiwa. (That is “Good afternoon” in Japanese). With this job, I get to wear a Akubra hat - very Aussie, and you would think, very good. But no. I am not a hat person. Unfortunately when I put on a hat, my forehead looks huge (and do NOT tell me that is because I have a huge forehead, because I DON'T want to hear it). No, let's just say, for no particular reason, I am just not a hat person.
On a more serious, and political, note, today was the 25th anniversary of the handback of Uluru to the traditional aboriginal owners. This was quite a monumental event, but I couldn’t go to the celebrations as I was working. Still, it was good to be close to this event, even if I couldn’t attend.
Moving away from the serious note... two nights ago, I dreamt I kissed Oprah, and she was dressed as a man. I am not going anywhere near analysing this dream.
To finish, a little saying.... "everyday can be confetti day".
PS The garlic bread was burnt to a cinder and unable to be eaten. So I ate chocolate instead.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Beaming back to Victoria
The errant (I wish! – We have been working waaay too much to be errant!) travellers return to sunny (?) Melbourne tomorrow. Our journey back begins at 4.45am tomorrow morning, with a four and half hour drive from Yulara to Alice Springs. We will then pass the van over to Amanda (God bless her) and hop onto a shuttle bus which takes us to the airport. We board the plane to Melbourne at approximately 11.00 am. We arrive Melbourne at 3.05 pm. My mumma is picking Kristy and I up from the airport and taking us back to her place, where, after travelling for over ten hours, we will be able to relax. I am assured by my mother that wine is chilling in the refrigerator (I will need it). She has chocolate for Kristy (I may have some of that too). Please explain to me again WHY we are not flying directly from Yulara to Melbourne???
There was an amazing storm here today. I was massaging a guest, and was looking outside as the storm raced through. Lightening, thunder, wind whipping the trees, torrents falling from the sky, the works! That guest had a very memorable experience – getting a one hour massage while a storm raged through the desert!
Ummm... have just thought... hope there is road access to Alice Springs, so we make our flight. Perhaps we won’t be beaming back to Vic tomorrow after all! Nah, it IS the desert! The rain on the road will dry up quickly. All will be fine.
I am soooooo excited about Mel’s wedding. And seeing little Elle! It is going to be the best!
It will also be good to spend some time with Kristy, well I hope I can anyway. Between us, with our jobs, we are just not seeing each other. We leave notes to communicate now! Although K did come in and have lunch with me today, and it was great to see her, if only for half an hour. Both of us, though, have a lot to do when in Victoria, so even then we may not spend heaps of time together. Perhaps after the ten hours of travelling together, this will be a good thing??? Just kidding – Kristy and I actually travel really well together. We sing, play cards (sometimes both together!), do puzzles, eat, chat and drink lots of diet coke!
Oh I am back in Melbourne tomorrow! I get to see shops! Lot’s of shops! I get to eat Thai food! I get to order a pizza and have it delivered! I get to walk down the street and no-one will know me, or will wonder who I am! I get to see tame dogs and cats! I get to watch a BIG TV screen! I know I will miss the heat and quietness of Yulara, but it will be good to see civilisation again, even if it only for a short time.
There was an amazing storm here today. I was massaging a guest, and was looking outside as the storm raced through. Lightening, thunder, wind whipping the trees, torrents falling from the sky, the works! That guest had a very memorable experience – getting a one hour massage while a storm raged through the desert!
Ummm... have just thought... hope there is road access to Alice Springs, so we make our flight. Perhaps we won’t be beaming back to Vic tomorrow after all! Nah, it IS the desert! The rain on the road will dry up quickly. All will be fine.
I am soooooo excited about Mel’s wedding. And seeing little Elle! It is going to be the best!
It will also be good to spend some time with Kristy, well I hope I can anyway. Between us, with our jobs, we are just not seeing each other. We leave notes to communicate now! Although K did come in and have lunch with me today, and it was great to see her, if only for half an hour. Both of us, though, have a lot to do when in Victoria, so even then we may not spend heaps of time together. Perhaps after the ten hours of travelling together, this will be a good thing??? Just kidding – Kristy and I actually travel really well together. We sing, play cards (sometimes both together!), do puzzles, eat, chat and drink lots of diet coke!
Oh I am back in Melbourne tomorrow! I get to see shops! Lot’s of shops! I get to eat Thai food! I get to order a pizza and have it delivered! I get to walk down the street and no-one will know me, or will wonder who I am! I get to see tame dogs and cats! I get to watch a BIG TV screen! I know I will miss the heat and quietness of Yulara, but it will be good to see civilisation again, even if it only for a short time.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Disposable underwear and other stuff
Q: Where do we now live??? A: It is Manta Walk, Yulara!!!
Kristy and I have moved from our “share-share” accommodation to “Manta Walk” accommodation. “Share-share” means that we have to share half of our accommodation with another person (the kitchen and bathroom), but Manta Walk means we have a whole one-bedroom unit to ourselves! And, it is the same rent as “share-share”!! We were up-graded with our accommodation because of my new job at the Resort Spa, and while our new unit is small, we like it because it is all ours. Moving to this new unit wasn’t hard - our new place is literally 10 seconds walk from our old place. The distance for the move was easy, but the rain on the day was a bit of a bummer, why does it always rain on moving day??????? We just did the ‘grab and throw’ move, we had to... the rain!! I have set up our new home as well as I can, given what I had to work with. And I have drawn some new pictures and blue tac-ed them up, draped blankets where I could (towels in some cases) and put desert flowers in empty wine bottles (plenty of those empty bottles, let me tell ya!!!) and spread the “vases” throughout the unit.
I miss Lizzie though, Lizzie is the blue tongue lizard that would sunbake out the front of our previous unit. We still see the family of rabbits, they hop everywhere at sunset! Bunnies!!!! Cute!!!
So, I have now officially started working at the Resort Spa. The first massage I gave, I was given a $25 tip! (Kristy was so proud – it was very cute!!) $25.00 is quite a big tip in this business – it is more than a Spa masseur makes in an hour! Masseurs who work for organisations/businesses (anyone who doesn’t work for themselves basically) get paid pretty low money, and this is incongruous considering that, for example, a one hour massage at the resort Spa that I work at costs a client $125.00!!! Yes, the mark up is huge. Once the Trip-Around-Australia (or as I like to say, the T.A.R), is over, I am thinking of starting up my own Spa, but of course I will be paying the masseurs and beauticians a very decent amount (like DOUBLE the current market rate!). I think well paid workers are more likely to be loyal and committed. Plus, they deserve to be paid for the work that they do!!!!!!
Anyhoo, despite the hourly wage, I am enjoying working at the Spa. Aside from providing Deep Tissue Massage, which I am already experienced and qualified in, I have now also learnt to do:
• 30 minute facials (called the “taster facial” - gives people a chance to experience the products)
• Aroma Stone Therapy (hot rock massage)
• Body Scrubs (great all-over- the- body exfoliation)
• Foot treatments (which include foot exfoliation and foot massage/reflexology) .
I have learnt new skills and I am glad for this (my list of quals and experience is growing evermore diverse and eclectic!) Although in the massage/beauty business, I am finding that my brain is HANGING OUT to be challenged. There is not a lot of brain work required for what I do, well... in comparison to my previous jobs in Melbourne, writing up units of competency for the DHS Diploma of Management. However, this is a short-term job, and while I am doing it, it can teach me to “get into the zone” and to meditate while I am massaging, exfoliating, scrubbing, ect (maybe the Universe is telling me to rest my brain?) . All of my clients say that I have great “energy” (or things along those lines), which is a good thing, because it would be pretty hard to give a client a relaxing experience if I had crap energy!
I have to say though, that while I am not being mentally challenged, I do like making people feel good, and I make sure that every client that steps into my treatment room is given the best experience I can possibly give them. I figure, they are paying so much money that they deserve to feel good. It is sometimes a bit harder with the arrogant clients, the ones that think they are “too cool for school” and treat me like a plebe, but I remind myself that they are paying a lot of money for the service, and it is not their fault if they don’t realise that I am being paid lowly wages, and it is not their fault if they haven’t learnt to be respectful and gracious to everyone, despite job or position. I work on being very kind and gentle to these people as I figure they deserve it (lots of people must really dislike them for their attitude!). But, on the other side of the coin, OMG – I had the most cutest of clients the other day – she was 84 years old! How awesome is that! She is 84 and she flew from the USA to see Uluru! I so admired her, and I made sure I gave her an extra good treatment! I love old people!
Oh, a slightly funny thing happened at the Spa the other day. I had just shown a lovely German couple into the change rooms (they were booked in for a double massage) and after a little while, the man comes out and calls to me, and says that he is not sure how to put on the disposable underwear (his girlfriend/wife is giggling behind him and he is beetroot red with embarrassment). Well... I wasn’t going to show him or help him, (aside from, ahhhhh...no! I couldn’t even if I wanted to because even I am not sure with the boy’s disposable underwear – it is some weird, paper g-string for the boys). I just handed him a new lot of the women’s disposable underwear, which is a very simple pair of black, high-waisted, crepe, strange leg-shaped panties (veeeeerrrry attractive! Must get a number of pairs to wear every day... oh yeah... right), and told him that these were “uni-sex”. While they are not appealing in a catwalk type of way (any type of way really), it is very easy to work out how to wear the women’s disposable underwear. Footnote: we mostly use the men’s g-string underwear as hair scrunchie’s for women who have come for a treatment but haven’t tied their hair back (they never know this, we tie their hair back when they are on the table!). And yes... of course they are clean ones! It is DISPOSABLE underwear people! Once we use it, we throw it away!!!!!
Oh, and the uniform that I wear – it is dark blue scrubs. Picture an operating theatre – I wear something similar to that (without the hat and foot covers). I love the Spa uniform so much that I am considering adopting it as my usual attire. Yes, it is very flattering... not.
I have now also started with my Certificate IV in Fitness (this is helping my brain to not atrophy completely). Have my first exam tomorrow, not sure if I am prepared, but will give it a go. Undergoing my fitness qualification means that I am virtually forced to go to the gym (one of the reasons I enrolled), so while I don’t go as much as I would like (working two jobs, and studying, cuts down on my time at the gym a little), I am still motivated to work out at least 3 times a week. I should have lost stacks of weight, yet, no, I have not. I blame Kristy. She keeps buying chocolate and leaving it in the fridge. What can I do but eat it??
With my two jobs, and Kristy working 5 nights out of 7 (note: she starts at 5.30pm and finishes anywhere between 1.00am and 3.00am), we can go days without really seeing each other (aside from a few hours from when she crawls into bed, and then I crawl out of bed when my alarm goes off for me to get up for work). Kristy leaves for work before I get home, and then I leave for work before she gets up in the morning! But we do manage to get a few days to spend together, not many, but some. Anyway, we are only stopping here at Yulara for a while, to re-energise, experience carpet (was surprised at how much I missed carpet!!), sleep in a bed without wheels, and to save some money before travelling the next leg of the journey.
I have to change my Victorian drivers licence! If residing in the NT for over 3 months, it is law to change your licence (and car rego) over to NT. I suppose it is about time I got myself another licence, considering how Kristy snapped my current licence in half (how embarrassing, and yet fun(!) it has been to hand over my licence in 2 pieces whenever I am asked for ID!). K broke it because she was trying to fix it (God I love irony!) To explain - my licence had a bend in it and so she decided to straighten it, and instead she broke it into 2 pieces.
I have now made a few additional new friends - my circle is extending! There is Darren (assistant manager of Sails in the Desert) and Mike (the star talker for the Sounds of Silence dinners). The Sounds of Silence is an activity where guests pay an extraordinary amount of money to eat a buffet, at night, in the desert, and while they eat, be told about the star constellations above their heads. Kristy and I are definitely going to do this (because we are here, and because we love a buffet, and because it would be fun, and because we might get a discount, and because we now know a star talker, and because there isn’t a lot of choice about what to do here, and because... well... why not!?) I just have to talk to Kristy about our schedules to see if we can synchronize our watches enough to make the dinner booking. Of course, I have also made friends with my co-workers at the Spa (Julie, Karen and Kerrie) who are just lovely and working with lovely people makes the day go by so pleasantly.
Kristy has been HANGING OUT for a bath (we have only been showering for over 4 months now), and today (on my day off from the spa) I made an appointment for Kristy and I to go and have a VERY flasho bath at the spa. We sat in the huge (big enough for 6 people easily), black (once you’ve had black....), roman-type, square bath, filled with luxurious, skin-softening products, looking up at the sky and gum trees, and soaking up the serenity. Ahhhh, this is the life. This bath normally costs $80 for couples, but because I work there, we got a bit of a discount. It was so bloody lovely to have a decent soak, and we are planning to do it more often!
If anyone is ever planning to come and see Uluru, then seriously guys, NOW is the time to do it. I can get you major discount on rooms at any of the hotels here. And I mean MAJOR discounts (100’s and 100’s and 100’s of dollars off the usual price). Kristy and I are planning to be here until at least the end of January 2011. Of course anyone who comes is welcome to stay with us if you want to pay nothing for accommodation, but if you want privacy or more room, I can get heavily discounted rates on the hotels here. Tomorrow I am finding out exactly the discounts I can get, so stay tuned to this bat channel and I will advise. If you are even vaguely planning, considering, contemplating, hoping for, imaging or reflecting on a trip to the centre of Australia, then email/text/call me and we can start working out the details of when and where. Come on... I know there is a number of you out there that are wanting to come to Uluru... don’t be shy... don’t be hesitate... just do it! (you know who I am talking about!!!). Is one life (that we remember anyway) so at least make sure that you see, in this lifetime, the iconic Australian rock!
BTW – how funny is The Big Bang Theory? We have just finished watching the first and second seasons on DVD! Hysterical!
Kristy and I have moved from our “share-share” accommodation to “Manta Walk” accommodation. “Share-share” means that we have to share half of our accommodation with another person (the kitchen and bathroom), but Manta Walk means we have a whole one-bedroom unit to ourselves! And, it is the same rent as “share-share”!! We were up-graded with our accommodation because of my new job at the Resort Spa, and while our new unit is small, we like it because it is all ours. Moving to this new unit wasn’t hard - our new place is literally 10 seconds walk from our old place. The distance for the move was easy, but the rain on the day was a bit of a bummer, why does it always rain on moving day??????? We just did the ‘grab and throw’ move, we had to... the rain!! I have set up our new home as well as I can, given what I had to work with. And I have drawn some new pictures and blue tac-ed them up, draped blankets where I could (towels in some cases) and put desert flowers in empty wine bottles (plenty of those empty bottles, let me tell ya!!!) and spread the “vases” throughout the unit.
I miss Lizzie though, Lizzie is the blue tongue lizard that would sunbake out the front of our previous unit. We still see the family of rabbits, they hop everywhere at sunset! Bunnies!!!! Cute!!!
So, I have now officially started working at the Resort Spa. The first massage I gave, I was given a $25 tip! (Kristy was so proud – it was very cute!!) $25.00 is quite a big tip in this business – it is more than a Spa masseur makes in an hour! Masseurs who work for organisations/businesses (anyone who doesn’t work for themselves basically) get paid pretty low money, and this is incongruous considering that, for example, a one hour massage at the resort Spa that I work at costs a client $125.00!!! Yes, the mark up is huge. Once the Trip-Around-Australia (or as I like to say, the T.A.R), is over, I am thinking of starting up my own Spa, but of course I will be paying the masseurs and beauticians a very decent amount (like DOUBLE the current market rate!). I think well paid workers are more likely to be loyal and committed. Plus, they deserve to be paid for the work that they do!!!!!!
Anyhoo, despite the hourly wage, I am enjoying working at the Spa. Aside from providing Deep Tissue Massage, which I am already experienced and qualified in, I have now also learnt to do:
• 30 minute facials (called the “taster facial” - gives people a chance to experience the products)
• Aroma Stone Therapy (hot rock massage)
• Body Scrubs (great all-over- the- body exfoliation)
• Foot treatments (which include foot exfoliation and foot massage/reflexology) .
I have learnt new skills and I am glad for this (my list of quals and experience is growing evermore diverse and eclectic!) Although in the massage/beauty business, I am finding that my brain is HANGING OUT to be challenged. There is not a lot of brain work required for what I do, well... in comparison to my previous jobs in Melbourne, writing up units of competency for the DHS Diploma of Management. However, this is a short-term job, and while I am doing it, it can teach me to “get into the zone” and to meditate while I am massaging, exfoliating, scrubbing, ect (maybe the Universe is telling me to rest my brain?) . All of my clients say that I have great “energy” (or things along those lines), which is a good thing, because it would be pretty hard to give a client a relaxing experience if I had crap energy!
I have to say though, that while I am not being mentally challenged, I do like making people feel good, and I make sure that every client that steps into my treatment room is given the best experience I can possibly give them. I figure, they are paying so much money that they deserve to feel good. It is sometimes a bit harder with the arrogant clients, the ones that think they are “too cool for school” and treat me like a plebe, but I remind myself that they are paying a lot of money for the service, and it is not their fault if they don’t realise that I am being paid lowly wages, and it is not their fault if they haven’t learnt to be respectful and gracious to everyone, despite job or position. I work on being very kind and gentle to these people as I figure they deserve it (lots of people must really dislike them for their attitude!). But, on the other side of the coin, OMG – I had the most cutest of clients the other day – she was 84 years old! How awesome is that! She is 84 and she flew from the USA to see Uluru! I so admired her, and I made sure I gave her an extra good treatment! I love old people!
Oh, a slightly funny thing happened at the Spa the other day. I had just shown a lovely German couple into the change rooms (they were booked in for a double massage) and after a little while, the man comes out and calls to me, and says that he is not sure how to put on the disposable underwear (his girlfriend/wife is giggling behind him and he is beetroot red with embarrassment). Well... I wasn’t going to show him or help him, (aside from, ahhhhh...no! I couldn’t even if I wanted to because even I am not sure with the boy’s disposable underwear – it is some weird, paper g-string for the boys). I just handed him a new lot of the women’s disposable underwear, which is a very simple pair of black, high-waisted, crepe, strange leg-shaped panties (veeeeerrrry attractive! Must get a number of pairs to wear every day... oh yeah... right), and told him that these were “uni-sex”. While they are not appealing in a catwalk type of way (any type of way really), it is very easy to work out how to wear the women’s disposable underwear. Footnote: we mostly use the men’s g-string underwear as hair scrunchie’s for women who have come for a treatment but haven’t tied their hair back (they never know this, we tie their hair back when they are on the table!). And yes... of course they are clean ones! It is DISPOSABLE underwear people! Once we use it, we throw it away!!!!!
Oh, and the uniform that I wear – it is dark blue scrubs. Picture an operating theatre – I wear something similar to that (without the hat and foot covers). I love the Spa uniform so much that I am considering adopting it as my usual attire. Yes, it is very flattering... not.
I have now also started with my Certificate IV in Fitness (this is helping my brain to not atrophy completely). Have my first exam tomorrow, not sure if I am prepared, but will give it a go. Undergoing my fitness qualification means that I am virtually forced to go to the gym (one of the reasons I enrolled), so while I don’t go as much as I would like (working two jobs, and studying, cuts down on my time at the gym a little), I am still motivated to work out at least 3 times a week. I should have lost stacks of weight, yet, no, I have not. I blame Kristy. She keeps buying chocolate and leaving it in the fridge. What can I do but eat it??
With my two jobs, and Kristy working 5 nights out of 7 (note: she starts at 5.30pm and finishes anywhere between 1.00am and 3.00am), we can go days without really seeing each other (aside from a few hours from when she crawls into bed, and then I crawl out of bed when my alarm goes off for me to get up for work). Kristy leaves for work before I get home, and then I leave for work before she gets up in the morning! But we do manage to get a few days to spend together, not many, but some. Anyway, we are only stopping here at Yulara for a while, to re-energise, experience carpet (was surprised at how much I missed carpet!!), sleep in a bed without wheels, and to save some money before travelling the next leg of the journey.
I have to change my Victorian drivers licence! If residing in the NT for over 3 months, it is law to change your licence (and car rego) over to NT. I suppose it is about time I got myself another licence, considering how Kristy snapped my current licence in half (how embarrassing, and yet fun(!) it has been to hand over my licence in 2 pieces whenever I am asked for ID!). K broke it because she was trying to fix it (God I love irony!) To explain - my licence had a bend in it and so she decided to straighten it, and instead she broke it into 2 pieces.
I have now made a few additional new friends - my circle is extending! There is Darren (assistant manager of Sails in the Desert) and Mike (the star talker for the Sounds of Silence dinners). The Sounds of Silence is an activity where guests pay an extraordinary amount of money to eat a buffet, at night, in the desert, and while they eat, be told about the star constellations above their heads. Kristy and I are definitely going to do this (because we are here, and because we love a buffet, and because it would be fun, and because we might get a discount, and because we now know a star talker, and because there isn’t a lot of choice about what to do here, and because... well... why not!?) I just have to talk to Kristy about our schedules to see if we can synchronize our watches enough to make the dinner booking. Of course, I have also made friends with my co-workers at the Spa (Julie, Karen and Kerrie) who are just lovely and working with lovely people makes the day go by so pleasantly.
Kristy has been HANGING OUT for a bath (we have only been showering for over 4 months now), and today (on my day off from the spa) I made an appointment for Kristy and I to go and have a VERY flasho bath at the spa. We sat in the huge (big enough for 6 people easily), black (once you’ve had black....), roman-type, square bath, filled with luxurious, skin-softening products, looking up at the sky and gum trees, and soaking up the serenity. Ahhhh, this is the life. This bath normally costs $80 for couples, but because I work there, we got a bit of a discount. It was so bloody lovely to have a decent soak, and we are planning to do it more often!
If anyone is ever planning to come and see Uluru, then seriously guys, NOW is the time to do it. I can get you major discount on rooms at any of the hotels here. And I mean MAJOR discounts (100’s and 100’s and 100’s of dollars off the usual price). Kristy and I are planning to be here until at least the end of January 2011. Of course anyone who comes is welcome to stay with us if you want to pay nothing for accommodation, but if you want privacy or more room, I can get heavily discounted rates on the hotels here. Tomorrow I am finding out exactly the discounts I can get, so stay tuned to this bat channel and I will advise. If you are even vaguely planning, considering, contemplating, hoping for, imaging or reflecting on a trip to the centre of Australia, then email/text/call me and we can start working out the details of when and where. Come on... I know there is a number of you out there that are wanting to come to Uluru... don’t be shy... don’t be hesitate... just do it! (you know who I am talking about!!!). Is one life (that we remember anyway) so at least make sure that you see, in this lifetime, the iconic Australian rock!
BTW – how funny is The Big Bang Theory? We have just finished watching the first and second seasons on DVD! Hysterical!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Yulara... Week Two... What Did We Do???
Kristy is still working away like a crazy gal - washing zillions of buses - as she waits for her Police Check to be finalised so she can gain her H endorsement, which will enable her to drive buses (though she will probably keep washing the buses, as well as do some bus driving, because the money is very good as a bus washer!) Opps, I made a big, big, big, HUGE faux pas in the world of AAT Kings (who Kristy works for)... they get very annoyed if we call them “buses” – they are “coaches”! Apparently anything that has wheels AND a toilet is called a “coach”.
Yulara (our new home) is broken into 3 primary factions:
1. Tourists: Other than interacting on a working/professional level, the workers/residents of Yulara don’t have much to do with the tourists (note: the tourists appear to be broken into 3 sub categories – the campers, the backpackers and the ones that stay in the hotels).
2. Short-term residents: This is Kristy and I. Short-termers are anyone that resides and works here for no longer than 6 months (note: short-term residents can often unintentionally extend into the following 3rd faction).
3. Long-term residents: The long-termers are those that have been here at Yulara for more than 12 months. I have spoken to long-termers that have been here for 5 years, and even one guy who has been here for 10 years!!!!! I didn’t even know that the Ayers Rock resort had been opened for that long! You can always tell a long-termer – they have pretty fancy gardens (short-termers don’t bother with a garden).
Both the short-termers and long-termers (actually all the residents!) are so friendly. Everyone seems to know everyone, and the residents wave to each other, smile, call out, beep horns, whistle, invite you for drinks, etc. If anyone is likely to be rude, it will be a tourist. Of course, most of the tourists, are great, just some of them are obviously a bit stressed, and well... it shows sometimes. But us residents (or ressies as we are called) cannot afford to be rude to each other – we have to live and work with each other, and a lot of the time it is in very close quarters! For eg, Kristy and I live in “share-share” accommodation, which means we share a kitchen and bathroom with someone else (they haven’t moved in yet, so K and I have had the whole place to ourselves, and I must say, I have really spread out my stuff! Will have to pull it all back in again when the new guy arrives.
The majority of “ressies” have 2 or 3 jobs. Kristy is seen as strange as she only has one job! The guy I worked with last night, he has 5 part-time jobs! I don’t think he sleeps much.
I started my casual catering job on Friday. Was meant to start next week, but they rang me on Friday at 11.30am and asked if I could come in at 2.30pm (they were desperate). I said yes, because, hey, why not? So I had my first shift catering for 7 groups of tourists (this equates to over 100 guests) who had champagne and canapés as they watched Ayers Rock at sunset (this is called the “sunny” shift). The first night I had a really bad time – just felt like so much to remember and it was so busy and people and things everywhere and how would I ever know what to do? But then I worked again last night (Saturday) and it was fine! And I did remember everything, and I had fun! And now I know how to properly pour a glass of champagne (I did not know there was a proper way until 2 days ago!)
The BEST tourists are the Japanese and the Americans! While these are very different tourist groups, total opposites actually, they are both groups so friendly and appreciative. The Japanese groups always give the catering crew a round of applause when they are leaving. The Americans always say thank you.
The first night I worked the “sunny” shift, the Rock looked glorious as the sun set. Last night, it was total clouds and spitting rain. The Rock just looked rock-like. Oh, but the first night – excitement! Someone had hidden up the top of the Rock during the day and as the sun was setting, he parachuted off the Rock ! So there I am, pouring drinks and being socialiable and friendly to the tourists (“Of course I am happy to take your photo” and “Oh it’s your honeymoon, how lovely” and “would you rather red wine, or white wine?” and “no you cannot take the rest of the champagne on the bus with you!”) when suddenly, everyone is going ohhhh, and ahhh, and we are watching parachute man flying over and off the Rock. Apparently he will get a mega fine if the rangers catch him. I kinda hope he runs (or flys) free.
I have met new people now that I have started working (not just meeting Kristy’s work mates, which I have been doing until now). There is Erin who I worked with on the first night, who earlier this year was airlifted out of Yulara because a blood vessel in her brain exploded and she nearly died, and after being put in an induced coma, she had her head shaved and the blood vessel removed and the fluid on the brain was drained. She showed me pics of her head with the massive scars (she has hair now, so you can’t see the scars). It is strange, because Garry (Kristy’s boss) also had brain surgery (to remove a tumour) and he has a massive scar on his head (he has a shaved head, so it is easy to see his scars!) The next woman I met (Tara, I worked with her the next night) told me how she had been airlifted out of Yulara (sound familiar!?) with a woman named Erin (who she has actually never met, yet has shared a medical helicopter with – isn’t that strange!)! Tara was airlifted out because she had severe concussion, because when she was cleaning under a sink, the sink was loose and it fell onto her head and she was knocked out. Ummm, as I write this, I am sensing a theme... head injuries. I think I should invest in a helmet while I am here at Yulara, or at least take out some sort of medical insurance!
Kristy and I went out last Wednesday night and we partied (remember that Wednesday is the new Saturday). I drank a teensy, tiny, weeny bit too much and ended up with a teensy, tiny, weeny hangover the next day (translated, this mean I didn’t stop consuming wine when I should have, and I ended up with severe nausea and a massive headache the next day).
Many people drink hard here, and I should not try to keep up with them. I know I need to be stronger and sterner when I tell people, “NO... Do NOT buy me another drink!” Is hard, because we are trying to fit in here, and drinking is the way to do that, (and I don’t want to look soft either), but equally, I don’t want to feel sick the next day either. I will find the balance, I WILL!
Although a lot of people like a decent drink in Yulara, there are hardly any problems or fights. That is because if anyone messes up, or carries on, or causes trouble, they will be “48-ed“ by the resort. If you are “48-ed” it means that you must leave the resort within 48 hours. As no-one wants to leave (they have jobs, homes, partners, friends, etc) most people are pretty darn careful about their behaviour.
I went to the gym again today. I have now officially joined, I have had a program written up for me, and I go religiously every 2nd day. Today Kristy came with me, and we set up the table-tennis table and played table-tennis after we had finished the workout. It was fun. I lost, but that’s because I let Kristy win. We all know how she gets if she loses (omg, she is not going to like that I wrote that!).
I have officially enrolled in the Certificate IV in Fitness now, and I start the work on the course tomorrow. I am looking forward to getting stuck into it, and am hoping it will inspire me even more to be fit. I am already getting muscles, and like to look at my own guns in the mirror (yes, I have become THAT sort of gym person).
Thank you Anita, for putting together some DVD’s for us and sending them over. We haven’t got them yet, but we know they are on their way. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!
If anyone else feels the urge to send us something (we accept all DVDs, books, cards, money, lotto tickets, jewellery, gold bullion, etc) the address is:
Linda & Kristy
C/- Yulara Post Office
Yulara, NT, 0872
Talking about DVD’s, they are selling them at the Yulara IGA for $2.00 each. Kristy couldn’t believe her eyes! But the DVD’s were all “who-the-hell-is-this-actor” movies. Still... we purchased 2 of them... well, they were only $2.00!! I think I was lucky to get out of the supermarket without Kristy buying the whole box (she likes a bargain).
The AFL grand final is coming up!!! Kristy has swapped one of her days so she can sit and watch it (and perhaps drink copious amounts of beer). I predict a Bulldogs/Pies grand Finale. Kristy tells me I am dreaming, but let’s just see!
Yulara (our new home) is broken into 3 primary factions:
1. Tourists: Other than interacting on a working/professional level, the workers/residents of Yulara don’t have much to do with the tourists (note: the tourists appear to be broken into 3 sub categories – the campers, the backpackers and the ones that stay in the hotels).
2. Short-term residents: This is Kristy and I. Short-termers are anyone that resides and works here for no longer than 6 months (note: short-term residents can often unintentionally extend into the following 3rd faction).
3. Long-term residents: The long-termers are those that have been here at Yulara for more than 12 months. I have spoken to long-termers that have been here for 5 years, and even one guy who has been here for 10 years!!!!! I didn’t even know that the Ayers Rock resort had been opened for that long! You can always tell a long-termer – they have pretty fancy gardens (short-termers don’t bother with a garden).
Both the short-termers and long-termers (actually all the residents!) are so friendly. Everyone seems to know everyone, and the residents wave to each other, smile, call out, beep horns, whistle, invite you for drinks, etc. If anyone is likely to be rude, it will be a tourist. Of course, most of the tourists, are great, just some of them are obviously a bit stressed, and well... it shows sometimes. But us residents (or ressies as we are called) cannot afford to be rude to each other – we have to live and work with each other, and a lot of the time it is in very close quarters! For eg, Kristy and I live in “share-share” accommodation, which means we share a kitchen and bathroom with someone else (they haven’t moved in yet, so K and I have had the whole place to ourselves, and I must say, I have really spread out my stuff! Will have to pull it all back in again when the new guy arrives.
The majority of “ressies” have 2 or 3 jobs. Kristy is seen as strange as she only has one job! The guy I worked with last night, he has 5 part-time jobs! I don’t think he sleeps much.
I started my casual catering job on Friday. Was meant to start next week, but they rang me on Friday at 11.30am and asked if I could come in at 2.30pm (they were desperate). I said yes, because, hey, why not? So I had my first shift catering for 7 groups of tourists (this equates to over 100 guests) who had champagne and canapés as they watched Ayers Rock at sunset (this is called the “sunny” shift). The first night I had a really bad time – just felt like so much to remember and it was so busy and people and things everywhere and how would I ever know what to do? But then I worked again last night (Saturday) and it was fine! And I did remember everything, and I had fun! And now I know how to properly pour a glass of champagne (I did not know there was a proper way until 2 days ago!)
The BEST tourists are the Japanese and the Americans! While these are very different tourist groups, total opposites actually, they are both groups so friendly and appreciative. The Japanese groups always give the catering crew a round of applause when they are leaving. The Americans always say thank you.
The first night I worked the “sunny” shift, the Rock looked glorious as the sun set. Last night, it was total clouds and spitting rain. The Rock just looked rock-like. Oh, but the first night – excitement! Someone had hidden up the top of the Rock during the day and as the sun was setting, he parachuted off the Rock ! So there I am, pouring drinks and being socialiable and friendly to the tourists (“Of course I am happy to take your photo” and “Oh it’s your honeymoon, how lovely” and “would you rather red wine, or white wine?” and “no you cannot take the rest of the champagne on the bus with you!”) when suddenly, everyone is going ohhhh, and ahhh, and we are watching parachute man flying over and off the Rock. Apparently he will get a mega fine if the rangers catch him. I kinda hope he runs (or flys) free.
I have met new people now that I have started working (not just meeting Kristy’s work mates, which I have been doing until now). There is Erin who I worked with on the first night, who earlier this year was airlifted out of Yulara because a blood vessel in her brain exploded and she nearly died, and after being put in an induced coma, she had her head shaved and the blood vessel removed and the fluid on the brain was drained. She showed me pics of her head with the massive scars (she has hair now, so you can’t see the scars). It is strange, because Garry (Kristy’s boss) also had brain surgery (to remove a tumour) and he has a massive scar on his head (he has a shaved head, so it is easy to see his scars!) The next woman I met (Tara, I worked with her the next night) told me how she had been airlifted out of Yulara (sound familiar!?) with a woman named Erin (who she has actually never met, yet has shared a medical helicopter with – isn’t that strange!)! Tara was airlifted out because she had severe concussion, because when she was cleaning under a sink, the sink was loose and it fell onto her head and she was knocked out. Ummm, as I write this, I am sensing a theme... head injuries. I think I should invest in a helmet while I am here at Yulara, or at least take out some sort of medical insurance!
Kristy and I went out last Wednesday night and we partied (remember that Wednesday is the new Saturday). I drank a teensy, tiny, weeny bit too much and ended up with a teensy, tiny, weeny hangover the next day (translated, this mean I didn’t stop consuming wine when I should have, and I ended up with severe nausea and a massive headache the next day).
Many people drink hard here, and I should not try to keep up with them. I know I need to be stronger and sterner when I tell people, “NO... Do NOT buy me another drink!” Is hard, because we are trying to fit in here, and drinking is the way to do that, (and I don’t want to look soft either), but equally, I don’t want to feel sick the next day either. I will find the balance, I WILL!
Although a lot of people like a decent drink in Yulara, there are hardly any problems or fights. That is because if anyone messes up, or carries on, or causes trouble, they will be “48-ed“ by the resort. If you are “48-ed” it means that you must leave the resort within 48 hours. As no-one wants to leave (they have jobs, homes, partners, friends, etc) most people are pretty darn careful about their behaviour.
I went to the gym again today. I have now officially joined, I have had a program written up for me, and I go religiously every 2nd day. Today Kristy came with me, and we set up the table-tennis table and played table-tennis after we had finished the workout. It was fun. I lost, but that’s because I let Kristy win. We all know how she gets if she loses (omg, she is not going to like that I wrote that!).
I have officially enrolled in the Certificate IV in Fitness now, and I start the work on the course tomorrow. I am looking forward to getting stuck into it, and am hoping it will inspire me even more to be fit. I am already getting muscles, and like to look at my own guns in the mirror (yes, I have become THAT sort of gym person).
Thank you Anita, for putting together some DVD’s for us and sending them over. We haven’t got them yet, but we know they are on their way. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!
If anyone else feels the urge to send us something (we accept all DVDs, books, cards, money, lotto tickets, jewellery, gold bullion, etc) the address is:
Linda & Kristy
C/- Yulara Post Office
Yulara, NT, 0872
Talking about DVD’s, they are selling them at the Yulara IGA for $2.00 each. Kristy couldn’t believe her eyes! But the DVD’s were all “who-the-hell-is-this-actor” movies. Still... we purchased 2 of them... well, they were only $2.00!! I think I was lucky to get out of the supermarket without Kristy buying the whole box (she likes a bargain).
The AFL grand final is coming up!!! Kristy has swapped one of her days so she can sit and watch it (and perhaps drink copious amounts of beer). I predict a Bulldogs/Pies grand Finale. Kristy tells me I am dreaming, but let’s just see!
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